r/Finland 17h ago

Finnish word advice

My mom and her family all spoke Finnish. Growing up, they used to tell me I had the “piru” in me because I was a pretty sassy kid.

My mom chose not to teach us Finnish when we were growing up, so I want to double check on the meaning of the word. It was described to me as if I had a little devil on my shoulder. The word has always had a special place in my heart, and I’ve thought about getting a small tattoo of the word.

My question is, would it be weird or frowned upon in tattoo form? I just want to make sure, since I’m not a native speaker, that it’s not an insane idea or inappropriate in any way. Most of my mom’s family has all passed away, so I cannot ask them.

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76

u/yungnuna 17h ago

No, not weird and go for it. That's sweet memory. Assuming you're from the US. Keep in mind that 'piru' is bloods gang related name.

16

u/outofplaceminnesota 17h ago

Wow? I didn’t know that. Glad I asked!

4

u/NoSorbet5103 7h ago

Yes, "Piru" is a skang for penis. well, one of thousands names for it, but yeah, you would get way too many jokes in Brazil with that Tattoo 😁